Current Context : Naib Subedar Satish Kumar of the 4 Dogra Regiment has been awarded the Vir Chakra, India’s third-highest wartime gallantry award, for exceptional bravery during Operation Sindoor.

About the Awardee

• Unit: 4 Dogra Regiment.
• Native Place: Samohali village, Buhala Bhadiyara Gram Panchayat, Jogindernagar subdivision, Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh.

ABOUT THE VIR CHAKRA

• Type: Third-highest wartime gallantry award in India (after Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra).
• Established: 26 January 1950 (with retrospective effect from 15 August 1947).
• Eligibility:
  • Officers and men of the Indian Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force).
  • May also be conferred on members of Reserve, Territorial Forces, Nursing services, and civilians engaged in defense of the nation.
• Purpose: Awarded for acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, sea, or air.

Current Context : Recently, seven senior military leaders were conferred with the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal (SYSM) for their distinguished service and leadership during Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

ABOUT SARVOTTAM YUDH SEVA MEDAL (SYSM)

• Nature of Award: India’s highest wartime distinguished service honour.
• Purpose: Awarded for exceptional leadership during war, conflict, or hostilities.
• Prestige: Equivalent to Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), which is conferred for peacetime distinguished service.
• Rarity: Has been awarded only three times before (including during the Kargil War).

AWARDEES OF SYSM 2025

Indian Air Force (IAF) – 4 Recipients

• Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari
• Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor
• Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra
• Air Marshal A.K. Bharti

Indian Navy – 1 Recipient

• Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh (Retd) – first Navy officer ever to receive SYSM.

Indian Army – 2 Recipients

Current Context: The Indian Army inaugurated an “Arogyam Health & Wellness Centre” in Tawang under Operation Sadbhavana.

ABOUT OPERATION SADBHAVANA

• Launched by: Indian Army in 1998 (Jammu & Kashmir)
• Aim: Apply “healing touch” and Win Hearts and Minds (WHAM) of people affected by terrorism and insurgency
• Purpose: Extend Army’s role from border defence and counter-insurgency to development and community welfare
• Focus Areas: Education, Healthcare, Women empowerment, Skill development, Sports, Infrastructure, Ecology and environment.

Current Context: An Arunachalee Mountaineer has successfully scaled Mount Elbrus, the highest peak of Europe.

ABOUT MOUNT ELBRUS

• Location: Western Caucasus mountain range, in Russia (near the border of Georgia).
• Height: 5,642 metres (18,510 ft) – the highest peak in Europe.
• Range: Part of the Greater Caucasus Mountains.
• Type: Dormant stratovolcano (last eruption recorded around 50 AD).

PHYSICAL FEATURES

• Glaciers: More than 20 glaciers, feeding the Baksan, Kuban, and Malka rivers.
• Climate: Harsh alpine; snow-covered year-round.
• Significance:
  • Highest peak of Europe and Russia

Part of the Seven Summits (the highest peaks on each continent)

Current Context: 10 States along with the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission recorded a disposal rate of over 100 percent on the E-Jagriti platform in July 2025.

ABOUT E-JAGRITI PLATFORM

• Launched on: 1 January 2025
• Ministry: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution
• Purpose: To provide a unified, tech-enabled avenue for uploading, tracking, and managing consumer grievances across multiple adjudicatory bodies.
• Objective: Computerization and networking of all Consumer Commissions at national, state, and district levels for transparency, efficiency, and speedy resolution of consumer disputes.
• Functions:
  • Online filing of complaints
  • Tracking of case status
  • Accessing judgments

Imp. fact : Disposal rate” usually means: The percentage of cases resolved (disposed of) out of the total cases filed or pending in a given time.

Observed every year on 20^th August (since 2004).

Aim: To raise awareness about renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro, biomass, etc.).

Observed every year on 20^th August.

• Aim : To commemorate Sir Ronald Ross’s discovery (1897) that female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans.
• Objective: To raise awareness about mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, dengue, chikungunya, Zika.

Observed every year on 20^th August.

• Occasion: Birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, the youngest Prime Minister of India.
• Meaning: Sadbhavna = goodwill, harmony, bonafide.
• Objective: To promote peace, communal harmony, and goodwill among people of India, regardless of religion, language, or region.

Current Context: Recently, two Indian aquanauts descended to 4,025 metres and 5,002 metres depth in the Atlantic Ocean, as part of an Indo-French collaboration using the French submersible Nautile. This milestone places India among the very few nations capable of exploring extreme ocean depths.

 SIGNIFICANCE

• First Time: India crossed the 4,000 metres depth mark
• Capability Boost: Strengthened India’s deep-sea research and technological expertise
• Global Standing: Enhanced India’s role in international marine exploration
• Knowledge Gain: Insights into deep-sea ecosystems and mineral resources

 INDO-FRENCH COLLABORATION

• Partner: IFREMER (French Marine Research Institute)
• Vessel Used: Nautile submersible from research ship L’Atalante
• Knowledge Transfer: Training Indian scientists in piloting, sampling, and submersible operations

 ABOUT MATSYA-6000 (INDIA’S INDIGENOUS SUBMERSIBLE)

• Design Depth: 6,000 metres
• Endurance: 12 hours
• Features: Titanium hull, lithium-polymer batteries, acoustic communication, emergency escape system

Trials: Wet trials in 2025, shallow water tests in 2026, deep-sea missions planned in 2027–28

Current Context: The Ministry of Education has launched free Artificial Intelligence (AI) courses on the SWAYAM Portal to equip students with skills in emerging technologies and meet the growing demand for AI expertise.

ABOUT SWAYAM PORTAL

• Full Form: Study Webs of Active–Learning for Young Aspiring Minds
• Launched By: Ministry of Education (2017)
• Purpose: To bridge the digital divide and provide quality online education free of cost
• Nature: India’s own MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) platform
• Courses Offered: From Class 9 to Post-Graduation level across Engineering, Science, Humanities, Management, Commerce, Language, and more

FEATURES

• Four-Quadrant Model:
  1. Video Lectures
  2. Downloadable Reading Material
  3. Self-Assessment Tests
  4. Online Discussion Forum
• Certification: Available with nominal fee + proctored exam
• Credit Transfer: Allowed under UGC Regulation 2016
• Interactive Content: Prepared by best teachers across the country